Google Chrome kills support for Windows XP, Vista and old OS X

Google has ended support for its Chrome browser on older operating systems, after rolling out the latest version of the browser this week.

As of Chrome 50, released this week, Windows XP, Vista, and older versions of OS X will no longer receive Chrome updates or security patches, though they will still continue to function as normal.

Any new vulnerabilities discovered in the browser will not be fixed for users on the platforms Google is no longer supporting, meaning there is greater potential for their computer to be infected by viruses or malware.

Along with Window XP and Vista, the specific versions of OS X that will no longer be supported include OS X 10.6, 10.7, and 10.8.

Google announced that it would be ending support for the browser on these operating systems last November.

"If you are still on one of these unsupported platforms, we encourage you to move to a newer operating system to ensure that you continue to receive the latest Chrome versions and features," said Google's director of engineering, Marc Pawliger.

Microsoft and Apple have both ended support for these older versions of their respective operating systems. Microsoft cuts support for its own Internet Explorer browsers in January.

Chrome 50 includes new support for push notifications and a new method of preloading webpages to speed up browsing. Google also listed 20 security fixes as part of it latest update.

Recently, Vivaldi, a new browser aimed at power users, led by the co-founder of Opera, launched for the general public.